Central Qld DV offender hid in unsuspecting woman’s home

A man who committed four domestic violence offences in Rockhampton over three straight months has moved to Gladstone.

A man who committed four domestic violence offences in Rockhampton over three straight months has moved to Gladstone. Generic image.

A Rockhampton domestic violence offender hid in his victim’s home without her knowing, a court had heard.

The man, who by law cannot be named, pleaded guilty in Gladstone Magistrates Court to four counts of contravening a domestic violence order.

The court heard the man committed two of his offences in February at Rockhampton.

The third happened in March and the fourth in April - both at Rockhampton.

The court was told one of the offences involved the man, at 11pm one night, being in the woman’s home without her knowing.

“He was actually hiding underneath the TV cabinet,” police prosecutor David Hoffman said.

The prosecutor said the man then came out from that hiding spot and approached the woman who told him “multiple times” to leave.

The court heard the man proceeded to block the front door of the residence and the woman had to push him out of the way to leave.

The man’s other offending, on different dates, included him going to the woman’s residence when he was not allowed to and asking her for money and other household items.

Another time, he saw the woman in public and approached her when he was not allowed to.

The man had a four-page criminal history which included previous domestic violence offending and he was on a suspended sentence when he committed these offences.

“The hiding out in the aggrieved’s residence under a TV cabinet is stalking-like behaviour that would obviously make any person, including such an aggrieved who has been subject to domestic violence, quite fearful,” Mr Hoffman said.

The prosecutor said the suspended sentence should be activated and he submitted for a six to nine-months’ term of imprisonment.

Solicitor Jun Pepito said the man was a father and since this offending, he had moved from Rockhampton to Gladstone.

Mr Pepito said the man suffered from mental health issues.

The solicitor said a term of imprisonment was in range but he submitted for immediate parole release, saying the man had care of some of his children.

During sentencing, Magistrate Mary Buchanan said this was “serious domestic violence offending.”

She sentenced the man to six months’ jail with immediate parole and activated the suspended sentence to be served cumulatively.

A conviction was recorded.

Originally published as Central Qld DV offender hid in unsuspecting woman’s home